History Main / TheNonDescript

* Johnson in ''The Creeping Shadow'' from ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo''. He is described as having a curiously vague appearance such that even as Lucy looked at him, the details slipped away from her. He has nondescript brown hair and a bland, slightly shapeless face, and no distinguishing features that would pick him out in a crowd.

* Blandon from ''Anime/YoKaiWatch'' is a ninja-like yokai that can blend in anywhere. Humans he inspirits become incredibly plain and unnoticeable.

* This trope is a trait carried by several of the Black Rose Duelists of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena''; with Kozue, Wakaba, and Keiko being the most affected. Kozue was this when she was younger due to being overshadowed by her [[HalfIdenticalTwin twin brother]] Miki's genius piano skills, whereas she was both mediocre in skill and an anxious performer. Wakaba is a [[TearJerker heartbreaking]] case of IJustWantToBeSpecial - the only way she can feel good is by helping others because she feels that she doesn't stand out in any other way. And Keiko is part of a GirlPosse that serves [[RichBitch Nanami]]; when she breaks away from them briefly for a chance meeting with [[ThePornomancer local casanova]] and crush Touga (who is also Nanami's older brother), both Nanami and the two other girls ostracize her severely. [[spoiler:After her duel with Utena, it comes to a head when we find out that Utena doesn't know Keiko's name]].
** There's also Wakaba's childhood friend Tatsuya, a DoggedNiceGuy to such proportions that Wakaba doesn't even notice his feelings. To make matters worse, Tatsuya's nickname is [[EmbarrassingNickname onion prince]] (referring to something as an onion, in Japan, means that it's shoddy or third-rate), and [[spoiler:despite having his unrequited feelings and inferiority cause him emotional turmoil, Mikage deems him sound enough to be rejected from the Black Rose duels.]]

* Shinpachi from ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' is described as this. During a "how to draw Shinpachi" segment, Gin instructs viewers to imagine the most boring and uninteresting face you can, then draw it. Tada! You've drawn Shinpachi! Also, at one point, Shinpachi is training to be a HighlyVisibleNinja, and manages to completely escape the notice of everyone in a crowded bookstore because, apparently, he is just that plain and unnoticeable. Even though he was [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext he was wearing a cow costume at the time]].
* Momoko from the Mahjong anime ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' takes this to supernatural level. When you're in a game where everyone is watching everyone else for a chance of quick victory, it's a tremendous advantage.
* What's-her-name-again[[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke Akaza Akari]][[/note]] from ''Manga/YuruYuri'', played for ComedicSociopathy-gold.

* Natsumi in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', which naturally causes her a bit of an identity crisis when she realizes that while everyone else she knows is interesting and have made valuable contributions to the group, she's just "that one girl who's there". It doesn't help that when she finally makes a Pactio, it gives her a magic artifact that basically invokes this trope, functioning as an InvisibilityCloak.
* Blandon from ''Anime/YoKaiWatch'' is a ninja-like yokai that can blend in anywhere. Humans he inspirits become incredibly plain and unnoticeable.
* Shiraori of ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' uses a camoflage magic which interferes with people's ability to perceive her features. Unless they spend enough time around her or already know what she looks like, they will only perceive her as being "white".

* Zandar, Zartan's brother from the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' comics was this kind of guy. He is so unnoticeable that in one instance, Zandar was literally sat upon, as it was thought the chair was empty. Admittedly, he ''is'' a master of camouflage and can easily hide in plain sight. So, it's like sitting on a chameleon, it's not really your fault for not noticing him when he's ''trying not to be noticed''.
** Also Ghostrider, the pilot of the Phantom X-19. The RunningGag in his few comic appearances was that none of the other Joes could ever remember his name, he was just that good. (Of course, there were probably [[ComicBook/GhostRider other reasons]] why [[ExecutiveMeddling Marvel never wanted his name spoken]], too)
* During Creator/MarkMillar's ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' run, Vulture comes to this conclusion after seeing Peter Parker's face for the first time. He angrily throws the youth to his supposed death, exclaiming that all these years he had thought Spider-Man must be someone famous, only to find out he was just a "nobody" that might as well be working at a gas station.

* The title character of the indie comic ''Mister Blank'', a totally ordinary office-worker turned BadassNormal fighting an AncientConspiracy. He's so normal-looking the artist just drew the minimal facial features of eyes and a mouth.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' is, at least during UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age of comic|books}}s. There were SO many people that ''just happened'' to look like him, from his father to a random thug, that he could often take a day off by having someone else replace him in either of his identities. Even in modern stories, while Superman is a well-known icon, Clark Kent is about average height, with a generic haircut and no real identifying marks, making him fairly nondescript--which helps a lot with ClarkKenting.

* Héliacin Glainglain in the ''ComicBook/AchilleTalon'' story "L'Appeau d'Ephèse"[[note]](literally "The Bird call from Ephesus", but it's also a pun on an [[LostInTranslation untranslatable]] french expression to say "expensive")[[/note]] is a kleptomaniac Undescript.
** In fact, the common-ness of the character allowed the artist to include him in crowd shots throughout the book, long before Talon actually meets the fellow. To the reader who notices this character who appears in several unrelated moments unlike the rest of the background characters who are all unique, this can count as {{Foreshadowing}}.
* {{Subverted}} with inspector Ginko from ''ComicBook/{{Diabolik}}'': while he can be described as having a face similar to Diabolik but without everything that makes Diabolik's looks distinctive, [[ClothesMakeTheLegend his distinctive red and black striped tie]] makes him everything but... [[DoubleSubverted As long as he's wearing it]].
* In a two-part story in ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' #542-543, batman hunts a SerialKiller known as 'Faceless'. Faceless turns out to be mailman, and all of his victims were people on his route: all of whom saw him every day, and none of whom noticed him or could remember a thing about him.

* Ardav, one of the Dalns gods in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'', is magically nondescript to the point where no one can remember what the sexless god looks like; thinking of it brings up a blank humanoid mannequin.
* The phantom interviewer in ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8972415/1/Oriana-The-Unauthorized-Accounts Oriana The Unauthorized Accounts]]'', a ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatTheMovie'' fanfic, appears to have this ability.

* Yuki and Kuyou in Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero have the ability to do this on a temporary basis. People are aware enough of them not to walk into them, but do not recognize them and are not aware of what they are doing.
* The ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfiction ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2456403/1/Training_for_the_Job Training for the Job]]'' introduces Munamoto Sousou, a rather shy and quiet ninja academy student. Ino, who is assigned to evaluate Sousou's espionage talents shortly before graduation, describes her as, "So unassuming that she makes people overlook her, making her ideal for civilian infiltration."

* Juleka is made this by magic in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13627575/chapters/31873266 The Downfall Akuma]]'', to facilitate her work as an assassin and bodyguard.
* ''Fanfic/MakeAWish'': Harry's disguise "Mr. Black" is supposed to be completely unremarkable, but because he didn't bother to ReadTheFreakingManual, he's instead noteworthy because no one can remember any distinguishing features or describe him.

* Jean-Baptiste Grenouille from ''Literature/{{Perfume}}'' possesses a superhuman sense of smell and eventually becomes a mass murderer. However, he has no scent of his own, causing people to instinctively treat him as a cipher beneath their notice. Even a watchdog ignores him. This is part of his motivation to create the perfect scent.

* Creator/ChristopherLloyd as a [[ManOfWealthAndTaste gentlemanly armed robber]] in ''Film/TwentyBucks'' states as a "life lesson" that "a [[SharpDressedMan well-dressed man]] is invisible", in that people will only remember the clothes, not the face.

* A minor character in a ''Literature/TomSwift''/''Literature/HardyBoys'' crossover book is like this. He is a thief who steals rare documents by simply walking out with them, confident no-one could remember enough about him to track him down.

* Judder Page from the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Expanded Universe is described as one of these.
** So is the guy from ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'' who delivers a report on events from Haruun Kal. He's so nondescript that Mace Windu immediately pegs him for a spy.
* Creator/AgathaChristie:
** ''[[Literature/TommyAndTuppence The Secret Adversary]]'' had one in [[spoiler: the Big Bad.]]
** Inverted in ''Literature/TheMysteriousAffairAtStyles'', where part of the murderer's ploy was built on the fact that the victim's husband Alfred Inglethorp, was not only easy to remember, but also easy to disguise as.
** Carlotta Adams in ''Literature/LordEdgwareDies'' has an indistinct appearance that "could take on an alien character easily, but had recognisable character of its own".
** Mademoiselle Blanche in ''Literature/CatAmongThePigeons'' is so nondescript that [[spoiler:she passes off as her deceased sister without even changing the passport photograph]].
* The unnamed man in the dark suit in Creator/NeilGaiman's ''Literature/AmericanGods'', who appears in several scenes and is so elusive and indistinct that even his lines in the dialogue are obscured: we are merely told that he "said something" or "nodded in reply and made a comment". Each time Shadow asks his employer (possibly the single character who remembers anything about the unnamed god, including his name) who the man in the dark suit is, he finds his mind momentarily wandering so that he misses hearing the response.
* Also a Gaiman example, Nobody Owens (it's in the name) from ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'' has this as an ability he learns from living among ghosts. He's so average-looking that nobody even remembers he's there unless he wants them to.
* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'':
** The Grey Men, assassins for the BigBad, have this going on at the level of a PerceptionFilter, and use their nondescriptness to slip through crowds and get up close to their target. It is said that a Grey Man coming at you with a knife is less noticeable than the leg of a chair. Whenever they attempt to assassinate someone, their actions are mentioned in the text a while before anyone notices them.
** A late book in the series introduces a non-supernatural version with a man named Hark, a pickpocket who in the course of his career has stolen thousands of wallets. They'd never have caught him if he hadn't kept them all as [[CreepySouvenir souvenirs]]. He's sent to track a minor villain who had previously killed every spy set to watch him.
* Tofu's go-to appearance in ''Literature/SuperMinion''. He purposefully chose the most generic set of features from the humans he observed, both to avoid standing out and so that if he needed to unexpectedly assume a more specific disguise he would probably be closer.
* The book version of ''[[Literature/TheBourneSeries The Bourne Identity]]'' specifically notes that this is one of Jason's defining traits, an utterly average face that allows him to easily disguise himself.

* The BigBad in Christa Faust's novel ''Money Shot'' is like this.
* The book ''The Schwa Was Here'' is about a character who's so nondescript that not only do people not remember him, nobody notices him in the first place.
* ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'': Exploited by assassins.
** Kragar is so easily ignored that people never seem to notice when he enters a room, usually causing an inadvertent StealthHiBye. He was originally a member of the House of the Dragon, but because no one would pay attention to his orders, he had to become a mobster of the Jhereg.
** Mario Greymist, TheDreaded top assassin of the Jhereg, turns out to be a plain, pleasant-looking man.
* Creator/IanFleming originally designed Literature/JamesBond to be this sort of character, originally conceiving of him as a PinballProtagonist "to whom interesting things happened". His name was even chosen because it was boring, appropriated from the name of a moderately famous ornithologist. That said, he's generally agreed to be good-looking, and ''has'' a detailed physical description, especially when Russian intelligence is looking over the case of Bond.
** In ''Moonraker'', as news gets out of a sensational murder-suicide (declared to be) over a woman, interested parties go out of their way to come up with a picture for the press that... doesn't ''not'' look like her, but communicates little that could be used to actually pick her out.

* The eponymous Reynard from ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'' is described as being extremely average looking when not in disguise. Basically, his face is a blank slate that can be molded into almost anything.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has few knocking about:
** The Tickler is a TortureTechnician in a company of particularly loathsome men-at-arms, but is in all other respects totally nondescript and ordinary.
** Mance Rayder, the "King Beyond the Wall" is described as rather unimpressive, looking like your average 40-something man. When Jon first sees Mance, he instantly dismisses him as a bard, since he's strumming a lute, and assumes that the more martial-looking Styr is the King Beyond the Wall.
** Davos Seaworth was a successful smuggler for years. And, for very many sound reasons: he is shrewd, is loyal to his own, is a fountain of common sense, gives workable advice and is a fairly nifty reader of people -- traits that helped him rise to becoming a Lord. However, he could also win prizes in the Mr Physiognomically Average Contest for the Westeros, Braavos and Andolos regional rounds (and, arguably a few more places besides). Which definitely ''won't'' have hurt his original job description, at all. [[spoiler: This comes into play when Wyman Manderly fakes Davos' execution as part of his revenge plans against the Freys, Boltons and Lannisters. Davos is eminently swappable with a few inmates you may have knocking about in prison. Whichever prison. And, with only minimal props added for effect (and just to make sure you sell the whole shtick).]]
** A historical version of one shows up in ''The Hedge Knight''. Prince Daeron "the Drunkard" Targaryen carried a disguise with him at all times: he was sandy-haired, not particularly striking to look at if not downright plain (so much so, even violet eyes didn't stand out), of medium height and build, not particularly noteworthy in upper-class behavioural ticks (besides the getting-drunk-a-lot thing) and, thus, so unlike your [[TheBeautifulElite standard]] PrettyBoy [[MysticalWhiteHair Targaryen]] [[UpperClassTwit high on airs and low on sense and/or manners]], you'd not have a clue who he was, unless you knew him personally. Which is why it took his own father going out to hunt for him to successfully find him when he decided to get himself lost in various taverns, once... Guardsmen alone hadn't a hope in hell of spotting this particular barfly within a swarm of others.
* Grey Murphy in the ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' series. His driver's license lists his hair as "hair-colored" and his eyes as "neutral".
* [[spoiler:Mr. Hopkins]] in ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' who turns out to be TheManBehindTheMan (or possibly the man behind the man behind the man). [[spoiler: Fittingly, we never learn his actual motivations for helping the first two villains - by the time he acquires a personality, he's been possessed by Faquarl.]]
* The ancient Roman mystery ''Terra Incognita'' has an agent-with-special-powers, an aide to a senior military officer, named Metellus who is like this. He doesn't do any undercover work, but his lack of distinguishing features adds to his blandly amoral creepiness.

* A shapeshifting alien in ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' is trying to pass himself off as human. When the main characters see his morph, it is described as, "the kind of guy who would disappear instandly in a crowd. The kind of guy who would blend. The kind of guy [[TheLeader Jake]] might have become if Fate hadn't chosen a spectacularly odd path for him."
* In the shared anthology ''Literature/{{Temps}}'', about people with superhuman powers being called in to work for the British government, one story tells of a young Pakistani man who is constantly ignored, people don't listen to him, they talk over his head, etc. When called in to do his Temps duty in a hostage crisis the people in charge ignore him, but he goes in, more or less accidentally "talks down" the hostage taker (who thinks he was already in the building) and leaves unthanked and unnoticed. He never shows any signs of the power of a "Temp" until the last line in the story, where we learn his codename is... The Invisible Boy.

* The assassin Magdalena Crouch is like this in J.V. Jones's ''A Cavern of Black Ice''. No two people who have seen her can agree on her real age, her hair or eye color, or any other feature of her appearance. Her only distinctive feature is her beautiful voice.
* The protagonist of the ''Literature/GallagherGirls'' series, who is a TeenSuperspy.
* Creator/SueGrafton had a character like this who used his non-descript forgettableness to get into crime, specifically embezzling.
* Dimitrios, the arch villain of ''Literature/ACoffinForDimitrios'' manages to escape capture despite all of his crimes and betrayals, because he's quite ordinary looking apart from his [[UhOhEyes terrifying eyes]]. The descriptions of him from a co-worker, an ex-lover, and a former employer are so general that they could fit thousands of people. At one point an older, well-dressed Dimitrios is described as looking like a diplomat at a state dinner, but a fairly unimportant guest who no one would pay attention to and would fade into the background.
* In ''Literature/TheFountainhead'', when Gail Wynand is starting up his newspaper, the Banner, he brings a man who looks just like this into the newspaper offices and tells his journalistic team that this is their target audience.
* Wheezer in the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' novel ''Hammers of Ulric'' uses this ability to his advantage to pick pockets and live like an ArtfulDodger in the city of Middenheim.
** The Emperor of Mankind seems to have some sort of glamour on him that allows him to appear to be the idealogized version of a man to whoever gazes upon him. Any blanks like the Sisters of Silence see past this and thus know he is a very nondescript, dark haired man. This isn't surprising given that he is so powerful that he can hide behind illusions or even transform into anything he desires.
** In the Literature/CiaphasCain books, Cain mentions the Lord General's personal psyker is, unusually, very powerful while still being sane with the only issue being that he has a dull and boring personality. On top of that, he is incredibly non-descript and even after several meetings, Cain can't even remember the faintest details about him. Again, like the Emperor, this makes sense. Powerful in control psykers aren't likely to develop mutations or heed the whisperings of the warp. They can very neatly sidestep the dangers of their powers and be incredibly well adjusted. This is what makes these psykers so dangerous. [[ParanoiaFuel You could be standing next to the most powerful psyker in the universe and not know it.]] The Emperor made it a point once he came out of hiding that everyone who gazed at him would know EXACTLY how powerful he was.
* In the novel ''Literature/WatershipDown'' and its animated adaptation, Hazel is a very nondescript ''rabbit'', compared to his co-stars' distinguishing features (Bigwig's head-tuft, Blackberry's tipped ears, Fiver's and Pipkin's small size). Rabbits meeting his band for the first time invariably assume somebody else is the leader until told otherwise.

* ''Literature/DeadSouls'' has an unusual example where this backfires, because people are somewhat GenreSavvy (or at least WrongGenreSavvy). The protagonist Chichikov is fairly nondescript, having a blandly polite and charming personality and being neither handsome nor ugly. However, the oddity of his behavior- buying the records of dead peasants from landowners- is such that people start to think up odd theories about him, such as that he's the ghost of a mistreated war hero returned for revenge, or that he's Napoleon in disguise. It also doesn't help that because of the "buying souls" metaphor, he seems a lot like Satan in a TheDevilIsALoser depiction.
* Sheftu, the male lead of Eloise [=McGraw=]'s ''Mara, Daughter of the Nile'', exploits this in his role as double agent for the king. He's even complimented on it by two of the other characters. However, when he's in his day job, he's perfectly capable of appearing glitteringly resplendent, and women--including the title character--tend to find him very attractive, despite not being conventionally handsome.
* In the novel ''The Kouga Ninja Scrolls'', the MasterOfDisguise Saemon is described as having a face that is instantly forgettable. While as noted in the page description, this is a hard trope to do visually, it does seem likely that the manga/anime adaptation ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' aimed at depicting this, since while he has EyesAlwaysShut that hide rather shifty eyes, his features are otherwise pretty bland.
* The villain of Aaron Elkins's ''The Worst Thing'' went so far as to have surgery to make his ears and nose look more average. He's often stopped in the street and told that he looks just like some actor who had a bit part in a single episode of a TV show--but it's never the same actor.
* [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Alias]] from the ''Literature/EvilGeniusTrilogy'' is described as having a "strangely unmemorable voice" and says he can pull off so many disguises because he's "on the average side".
* Granta Omega of ''Literature/JediQuest'' is a Force Blank. He has no connection to the Force whatsoever, and as such, is almost immediately forgotten by people after he leaves them, and is undetectable via the force.
* In ''Literature/LifeOfPi'', Pi's spiritual adviser Mr. Kumar (not [[PlanetOfSteves the atheist one]]) is described as being so average looking that at one point he worries about being unable to pick him out of a crowd when they're set to meet at his family's zoo.
* Literature/TravisMcGee takes full advantage of his own generally unremarkable appearance in his investigations; his height -- 6'5" -- is literally the only thing most people remember about him. He occasionally puts lifts in his shoes to make it even harder for them to remember anything else.
* Magdelena Crouch, aka the Crouching Maiden, a DarkActionGirl assassin from the ''Literature/SwordOfShadows'' series, is like this- she's so unremarkable that people tend to fill in details about what she looks like from their own imagination- though she's memorable owing to being a strong personality, two people who met her could describe her to each other and never know they were talking about the same person. The effect is implied to be mildly supernatural.
* Both main characters in the ''Literature/KnightAndRogueSeries'' are perfectly average looking. Michael does have a scar on his face, but this is only used to identify him if he's already made himself stand out. Otherwise, it's been stated that it's easier to find the two by asking if anyone has seen their horses.
* Greystroke in Creator/MichaelFlynn's ''[[Literature/SpiralArm The January Dancer]]''.
* ''Literature/ThoseThatWake'' has Man In Suit, who's described as just that; everything from his face to his clothing is so plain and blank it's impossible to describe.
* In ''Literature/BestServedCold'' attributes this quality to [[PerkyFemaleMinion Day]], apprentice to the MasterPoisoner assassin Morveer. Morveer describes her looks as an asset to their work- she's attractive enough to put people at ease, but not so attractive as to be distracting/memorable.
* In ''Literature/TransformersExiles'', Makeshift's ShapeshifterDefaultForm is described as "so anonymous that it was practically impossible for anyone who saw him once to describe him accurately."
* [[http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/pirkis/brooke/brooke.html Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective]].
-->She was not tall, she was not short; she was not dark, she was not fair; she was neither handsome nor ugly. Her features were altogether nondescript...

* This is Inspector Jack Robinson's major physical trait in the ''Literature/PhryneFisher'' novels, and it makes him a very efficient policeman. Even people he has arrested cannot remember what he looks like.
* In ''Literature/HereticsOfDune'' and ''Literature/ChapterhouseDune'' this is explicitly stated as the reason Dama, the leader of the Honored Matres, was able to come to power and stay in power. Before coming to power her utterly plain and unremarkable appearance kept people from taking her as a serious threat, and after coming to power prevented people from successfully plotting against her because no one could remember who she was or what she looked like. Those closest to her know better and are completely terrified of her.

* In the ''Literature/AlexRider'' series, John Crawley is described as having "the sort of face you forgot even while you were looking at it".
* In the first book of the ''Literature/BlackBlade'' series, [[spoiler:Grant]] uses illusion magic to look utterly gorgeous when working for his patrons and his utterly unremarkable natural appearance when plotting against them.
* In the Creator/TimDorsey novel ''Orange Crush'', there's a minor character named Joe Blow, who is totally average in both appearance and habits. So average that he is the perfect barometer to predict who the population as a whole will vote for, resulting in him getting stalked by the media every election cycle.
* In the ''Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety'' books, Reynie Muldoon. Towards the beginning of the first book, he is described as being "...the least noticeable of boys. He was of average size, of an average pale complexion, his brown hair was of average length, and he wore average clothes." Later in the same book, he and Kate are spying on activities in the gym at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened when he is suddenly spotted by S.Q. Pedalian. However, he doesn't get caught because, as Kate explains...
-->They were questioning students when Constance and I came down the hill. Nobody saw you. Jackson asked us and we told the same story. He was yelling at S.Q.: "Is that really the best you can say? An average-looking boy? An awful lot of boys are average-looking, S.Q.!" And, poor S.Q., he just kept arguing that ''this'' boy was ''especially'' average-looking. Jackson seemed ready to strangle him.

* Johnson in ''The Creeping Shadow'' from ''Literature/LockwoodAndCo''. He is described as having a curiously vague appearance such that even as Lucy looked at him, the details slipped away from her. He has nondescript brown hair and a bland, slightly shapeless face, and no distinguishing features that would pick him out in a crowd.
* Former Cuban spy Felix Cortez was able to enter and exit the US at will in ''Literature/ClearAndPresentDanger'' because while the FBI had his description, it was so generic (early middle aged Latino male, average height and build, no distinguishing features) that it was useless.
* ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'': Locke is frequently described as scrawnier than normal, but otherwise he's said to be very nondescript. The fact that he appears half Vadran and half Therin allows him to pass as either. His unexceptional appearance helps him be the MasterOfDisguise of the Bastards. Jean is very large, while the Sanza twins have large, hooked noses.
* In ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Only You Can Save Mankind]]'', when Johnny contacts Kirsty in gamespace and says he was one of the boys at the computer shop earlier, she tries to work out which one by giving decent descriptions of all his friends, then says she didn't notice anyone else. Johnny's reply is "Yes, that was me."
* ''Literature/AscendanceOfABookworm'': Justus, Ferdinand's spy, is described as having features that are either extremely common or within the average, resulting in him being able to disappear in a crowd.
* ''Literature/WhaleTalk:'' Swim team member Jackie Craig is described as a "chameleon" who looks and acts so averagely that if he robbed a bank, no one would be able to describe him.
* ''Literature/TheLaundryFiles'': ''The Labyrinth Index'' mentions a type of spy called a Gray Man, who is so unremarkable and nondescript that they vanish from plain sight. This is described in relationship to Derek, who is not a Gray Man, but a rarer type of spy called the the Man of No Consequence, who is easily noticed but instantly dismissed -- fortunately for him, since he has no experience with spycraft. This lets him blend into a crowd of Korean tourists despite clearly being neither Korean nor a tourist, and infiltrate a government building because anyone who sees him assumes he's either harmlessly lost and/or someone else's problem.
* In Robert Brockway's Literature/TheUnnoticeables, The titular Unnoticeables are a crowd of HumanoidAbomination who are described as "looking human but not quite". They seem to have a psychic effect on people where those looking at them are compelled to not care about what they are or what they look like. Carey even has a moment where he is having difficulty even fighting one of them without feeling disinterested.

* In one episode of ''Series/ThePersuaders'', an assassin is set on the heroes' tail. He is just an aging, thin, unattractive man who is normally a repairman when he's not taking jobs like this. He attributes his success to the fact that he is always TheEveryman who no-one ever notices or suspects.
* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' has this with Lawrence Dobson who looks to be nothing special, and loses anything interesting about him ''whatsoever'' when you see Simon wearing the most villainous getup you can imagine.

* Alex, Paul and Jess of ''Series/TheRealHustle'' don't usually use disguises except for fake names, but are never recognised by their marks. Then again, the magic of editing means it probably happens, but we just never see it ("Hey, aren't you that guy off TV?")
* On ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'', Lewis and Oswald once boasted to Drew that their greatest edge in trying to meet women was being completely forgettable, thus any woman who turns them down would always give them a second chance a few years later by means of having forgotten them already. They go on to try to pick up a pair of girls who turn them down immediately, but they merely smirk and say "See you in ten years!"

* ''Series/BurnNotice'': An assassin sent to kill Michael Westen certainly qualifies. He's shortish, chubby, with thinning brown hair and glasses. He's just another bureaucrat sent to review Michael's file. Until he asks for a drink and whips out a garrote. Spies show contempt for bureaucrats, meaning they're the perfect cover.
* ''Series/ArrestedDevelopment'': Ann Veal, George Michael's girlfriend. She is bland in both personality and appearance, prompting George Michael's family to constantly forget she's around and screw up her name. They often wonder what George Michael sees in her ("Is she funny or something?"). Whenever George Michael says something complimentary about her, he's met with a dubious [[PhraseCatcher "Her?"]] However, this is downplayed later in the series when she becomes very religious.
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': {{Discussed| Trope}} when Henry describes a woman he was set up with as nondescript and Shawn remarks that he's only heard someone say that when discussing a crime scene.

* ''Series/{{Dexter}}'': The title character's traditional killing outfit consists of a drab, long-sleeved Henley shirt and khaki cargo pants, which are nondescript enough to avoid standing out in most settings.

* The advantage "Bland" makes you this in the ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' tabletop game 3rd edition. Too bad it also makes you less likely to be recognised when glory is to be had for great deeds.

* ''TabletopGame/UnknownArmies'' offers this as a skill.
* Likewise, there is a magical ability called "Incognito" in ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'' that does nothing to alter its user's appearance, but instead makes him or her really, really, ''supernaturally''... uninteresting. No surprise that it's under the purview of the Hucksters, arcane practitioners often described as "shifty".

* TabletopGame/TheBookOfUnremittingHorror has "The Man in The Bar", an Outer Dark Entity that confuses everyones senses, making sure that it has no discernable features to be identified by any witnesses. Which is perfect for hunting its prey at Bars.

* This is a power you can inflict on others in ''TabletopGame/GeistTheSinEaters''.

* The Sidereal ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' may be nondescript or attention-grabbing, as their individual natures dictate, but the Arcane Fate ensures that any non-Sidereal who meets them will find them very hard to remember...even more so when all traces of their existence, from footprints to pictures to bureaucratic records, get lost, are accidentally destroyed or defaced, or mysteriously vanish. Unfortunately for their social lives, [[BlessedWithSuck they can't turn it off.]]
* ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' has the talent "Unremarkable", usually taken as a starting ability. Mind you, in this game you can also take chemical castration, nanite blood, and replacing half your brain with a computer as talents.
** ''TabletopGame/BlackCrusade'' adds the "Illusion of Normalcy" mutation, which hides all mutations, blasphemous tattoos etc. in addition to giving "Unremarkable".
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Scion}}'', this is one of the weaker powers of the Darkness purview.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', Wizards that study the grey wind of magic, the Lore of Shadow, become more nondescript and forgettable as they grow in ability.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' has nondescript as a positive background during character creation. It means that, in a world [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou where ambient cameras can keep track of you all the time]], your appearance is so bog-standard for your age, sex and metatype that even face-recognising A.Is have problems [[SuspectIsHatless distinguishing you from millions of other Jon/Jane Does]].
* In the 1980s ''[[Franchise/JamesBond James Bond]] 007: Role-Playing In Her Majesty's Secret Service'' roleplaying game, a nondescript appearance costs more character points than an attractive one. This fits the setting (where agents tend to be good-looking) and requires the character to pay for the benefit of easily blending into the crowd (a useful thing for a spy).

* ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' features a group called [[TheIlluminati Providence]], a top-secret conspiracy who have ambitions to TakeOverTheWorld and already exert a huge influence on world governments already. In a later mission, one of your targets is interrogating a low-rank courier for Providence for information on his commander. The poor scrub can't give him a description of his boss because he just [[TheyLookLikeEveryoneElse looks like an ordinary guy]]: an accountant who could sit next to you on the bus without you noticing. Apart from a nice suit and a bit of a raspy voice, he does look like a perfectly generic middle-aged guy.

* Your U.L. Paper contact in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV''. "To me? Who am I? There's a hundred guys in this building alone who fit my description. Middle aged men, paunchy, glasses... you bring them here? What's this? Empty office, leased to a man who died in the last days of Vietnam... Call me up. My number never existed." -- also goes for TheMenInBlack.
* To [[spoiler: the BigBad]] in ''VisualNovel/NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors,'' ''everyone'' is like this due to his [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia prosopagnosia.]] This allows Zero to trick him into [[spoiler: killing one of his former accomplices]].

* Kellam from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. Despite being one of the tallest characters in the game and wearing a gigantic suit of armor, he's virtually invisible to everyone, including his own teammates. It also doesn't help that his design is very plain compared to the other characters. Amusingly, recruiting him is entirely optional because of this.
* Sims with "Pudding Face" in ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' have facial features which are completely and utterly average,[[note]]CharacterCustomization sliders are all set to 0 value, making them neither positive nor negative,[[/note]] but nothing's stopping them from having an Eccentric, Flirtatious, or even Insane or Evil personality trait (or, potentially, ''all'' of these). Since the game occasionally makes Pudding Faces when it's creating new sims for "needed" positions around town, you could potentially end up with many identical sims around town after playing through a few in-game generations. Good luck keeping them all straight.

* Rob from ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' is this in "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS2E21ThePony The Pony]]", with his entire existence being treated as a NoodleIncident, with Gumball and Darwin remembering him as much as the audience does. In "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS3E12TheVoid The Void]]", this is {{deconstructed|Trope}}, as [[spoiler:he is revealed to have been thought of as a mistake by the Void and sucked in, being left unnoticed, even after trying to get saved by visitors there]]. "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS3E36TheNobody The Nobody]]" also {{deconstruct|edTrope}}s this, as [[spoiler:it is revealed he has escaped and is still alive, but just glitched up and trying to claim an identity that has not already been taken]].
* Wallflower Blush from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsForgottenFriendship'' is constantly ignored and forgotten about by everyone else at Canterlot High, even by people she's just talked to. [[spoiler: It's what drives her to use the Memory Stone to erase everyone's positive memories of Sunset Shimmer, forcing them to only remember her as she was before her HeelFaceTurn.]]

* Sheftu, the male lead of Eloise [=McGraw=]'s ''Mara, Daughter of the Nile'', exploits this in his role as double agent for the king. He's even complimented on it by two of the other characters. However, when he's in his [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob day job]], he's perfectly capable of appearing glitteringly resplendent, and women--including the title character--tend to find him very attractive, despite not being conventionally handsome.

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': Justus, Ferdinand's spy, is described as having features that are either extremely common or within the average, resulting in him being able to disappear in a crowd.

** The young Vetinari manages this without magic in ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'', training himself to stand perfectly still and eschewing the usual Assassin jet-black for more drab colours.

* In Robert Brockway's Literature/TheUnnoticeables, The titular Unnoticeables are a crowd of HumanoidAbominations who are described as "looking human but not quite". They seem to have a psychic effect on people where those looking at them are compelled to not care about what they are or what they look like. Carey even has a moment where he is having difficulty even fighting one of them without feeling disinterested.

* Shigeo Kageyama from ''Manga/MobPsycho100'' is so average it hurts: ordinary grades, no extracurriculars, completely average looks, absolutely nothing interesting about him. His InSeriesNickname "Mob" (which gets used far more often than his real name), comes from the fact that he looks like a generic character from a crowd scene. What's ''not'' nondescript about him are his insanely powerful [[PsychicPowers psychic abilities]]...

** Likewise, "Arcane" in ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension''. The Ahl-i-Batin cranked it [[UpToEleven up to ten]] (not eleven--at eleven [[PuffOfLogic the universe forgets you exist]]). An entertaining variant because it can't be turned off, making it a two-edged sword.

** [[spoiler: Rakuzan High's Chihiro Mayuzumi]] has the same ability, and manages to stand out even less than Kuroko does. In his first appearance, we don't even learn his name, and his face is [[BlindingBangs obstructed by his hair]], giving him the appearance of just being a random stand-in who's only there because basketball teams need five players on the court.

* Emmet of ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', who has the face of a generic LEGO minifig. He's so nondescript that the villain's forces have a hard time finding him at first because he looks like everyone else. Also deconstructed because this means that ''no-one'' that he interacts with on a daily basis even knows what's so special about him.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* Emmet of ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'', who has the face of a generic LEGO minifig. He's so nondescript that the villain's forces have a hard time finding him at first because he looks like everyone else. Also deconstructed because this means that ''no one'' that he interacts with on a daily basis even knows what's so special about him.

-->'''Stoner Guy:''' Preston? I dunno, his hair's kinda, I dunno, brown?
-->'''Matt, Watermelon Guy:''' No, it's not really brown. Oh, he's tall.
-->'''Stoner Guy:''' Yeah, he's kinda kinda tall. Sorta tall. And he's like always wearing like t-shirts.
-->'''Amanda Becket:''' So, he's sort of tall?
-->'''Stoner Guy:''' Kind of.
-->'''Amanda Becket:''' With... hair?
-->'''Stoner Guy:''' Yeah.
-->'''Amanda Becket:''' And he wears t-shirts sometimes?
-->'''Stoner Guy:''' Yeah.

** The episode "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" had a girl, Marcie Ross, who was so nondescript that no one noticed her. She was never called on in class or spoken to by her peers. Eventually, a combination of [[ArtMajorPhysics quantum mechanics]] and the fact that [[CrapsackWorld the school is built over a Hellmouth]] turned her invisible. When her existance is revealed, she is implied to have been living in the school air vents for months without being reported missing. Willow and Xander don't know who she is, despite having had ''three'' classes with her the previous year. Marcie's goal is revenge on those who ignored her, through revenge and mutilation. At the end of the episode, she is taken away by TheMenInBlack to a classroom of likewise invisible people, to be trained in espionage and assassination.
--->'''Buffy''': ''(showing a yearbook she found in the vents)'' Have a nice summer, have a nice summer ... every signature.
--->'''Giles''': Once again, I stand on the edge of the generation gap -
--->'''Buffy''': "Have a nice summer" is what you write when you have absolutely nothing else to say.
--->'''Willow''': It's the social kiss of death.

--> '''David:''' One of the codes by which I live my life is that my appearance should be in no way noteworthy, but then again, not so unnoteworthy as to be in itself noteworthy.[[note]]A gray necktie would count as the latter, according to Mitchell.[[/note]]

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
* [[spoiler:Ata]] from ''Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG''. Because of his status as TheGenericGuy, he was the perfect candidate to eventually be revealed as TheMole.
* Juliana from ''Solomon Academy'' isn't ''normally'' this, but she has the power to shed her identity and vanish. It's not exactly invisibility, but people cannot process any distinguishing information about her, so it might as well be.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Billy from ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog''. Even though he's played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris, he does manage to pull off ClarkKenting remarkably well, and goes unnoticed following Captain Hammer and Penny around on their dates.
* Pirate Lady Corazon Rivadeneira from ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'' is so nondescript that even the paintings she modeled for can't agree on how she looks like. It's implied to be a supernatural power.
* Jolie La Belle from ''StarHarborNights'' has "indescribable beauty" as a superpower, with an emphasis on the "indescribable" part.
* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'':
** The Man In The Tan Jacket, who is is said to be completely unmemorable. Witnesses can't describe him outside of noting that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he wears a tan jacket]] and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick carries a briefcase full of flies.]]
** Our narrator Cecil (and his counter-part Kevin) who described each other as being neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, having various human features like a nose and a mouth, but with [[TheUnSmile odd smiles.]] The creators have gone on record as saying that Cecil will remain this way, so that he can look however fans want him to. Quite a number of fan artists have settled on the idea of a dark-skinned man with messy hair and a literal third eye.

* Believe it or not, UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}. Literature/TheFourGospels heavily imply that he was very generic-looking, since the soldiers who came to arrest him couldn't pick him out, and even his own disciples had trouble recognizing him after his resurrection.

* ''Fanfic/MakeAWish'': Harry's disguise "Mr. Black" is supposed to be completely unremarkable, but because he didn't bother to ReadTheFreakingManuel, he's instead noteworthy because no one can remember any distinguishing features or describe him.

* The criminal popularly known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper D.B. Cooper]]. It's possible that he didn't survive landing, but looking at [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/DBCooper.jpg his composite sketch,]] it seems just as likely that he was never caught because he could be just about any white guy between 25 and 50. One of the more plausible theories on why the authorities never managed to catch him is that Cooper simply went back to work on Monday as if nothing happened, considering no one was reported missing in the area the week of the hijacking.

* The Stone Mask in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' has the ability to make the wearer appear as unnoticeable as a stone. This has a drawback: you get it by using the Lens of Truth to find a soldier who put it on, then suffered an injury. He laid there, hurt and forgotten, for days until you found him. However, particularly disciplined or trained people can see past it, such as the Gerudo Pirate {{Mini Boss}}es and their leader. They even have [[DevelopersForesight have unique dialogue]] if they spot you wearing it, changing from saying "That's as far as you go" and "Everyone!!! A rat has snuck in!" to saying "You think you can trick us with that mask?" and "Everyone!!! A rat ''wearing a strange mask'' has snuck in!"

** In the Literature/CiaphasCain books, Cain mentions the Lord General's personal psyker is, unusually, very powerful while still being sane with the only issue being that he has a dull and boring personality. On top of that, he is incredibly non-descript and even after several meetings, Cain can't even remember the faintest details about him. Again, like the Emperor, this makes sense. Powerful in control psykers aren't likely to develop mutations or heed the whisperings of the warp. They can very neatly sidestep the dangers of their powers and be 8ncredibly well adjusted. This is what makes these psykers so dangerous. [[ParanoiaFuel a You could be standing next to the most powerful psyker in the universe and not know it.]] The Emperor made it a point once he came out of hiding that everyone who gazed at him would know EXACTLY how powerful he was.

* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' features The Man In The Tan Jacket, who is is said to be completely unmemorable. Witnesses can't describe him outside of noting that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin he wears a tan jacket]] and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick carries a briefcase full of flies.]]
** Also, our narrator Cecil (and his counter-part Kevin) who described each other as being neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, having various human features like a nose and a mouth, but with [[TheUnSmile odd smiles.]]
** The creators have gone on record as saying that Cecil will remain this way, so that he can look however fans want him to. Quite a number of fan artists have settled on the idea of a dark-skinned man with messy hair and a literal third eye.

** The Grey Men, assassins for the BigBad, have this going on at the level of a PerceptionFilter, and use their nondescriptness to slip through crowds and get up close to their target. It is said that a Grey Man coming at you with a knife is less noticeable then the leg of a chair. Whenever they attempt to assassinate someone, their actions are mentioned in the text a while before anyone notices them.

** TabletopGame/TheBookOfUnremittingHorror has "The Man in The Bar", an Outer Dark Entity that confuses everyones senses, making sure that it has no discernable features to be identified by any witnesses. Which is perfect for hunting its prey at Bars.

* Brett from ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob'' was hired by Cognito, Inc. because his appearance is so generic he can't be detected by spy satellites.

* The criminal popularly known as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._B._Cooper D.B. Cooper]]. It's possible that he didn't survive landing, but looking at [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/DBCooper.jpg his composite sketch,]] it seems just as likely that they didn't catch him because he could be just about any white guy between 25 and 50. One of the more plausible theories on why the police never managed to catch him is that Cooper simply went back to work on Monday as if nothing happened, considering no one was reported missing in the area the week of the hijacking.

* One of the things that allowed Ted Bundy to go on killing for so long was the fact he was so ordinary looking. He was pretty much a natural master of disguise. He was also helped by the fact that he could look reasonably handsome (though not memorably so), which helped him to persuade his female victims to get into vulnerable situations.

* Sports writer Jack [=McCallum=], in his book on the Dream Team, pointed out that the only member of the 1992 U.S. Usefulnotes/{{Olympic|Games}} Men’s Basketball team who could go outside in Barcelona without getting mobbed by the public was John Stockton, because he was a 6'1" white guy with dark hair (hardly uncommon in the city). The other two white guys on the team were blonde and at least 6'8", and all the black men were at least 6'6". [[https://youtu.be/CEmacNvCj4A This clip]] proves his point.